


they're all connected

by morevirtuemoir



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: 2018 Winter Olympics, Bondage hints, D/s Vibes, F/M, Hotel Room Sex, Masturbation, Pining, Sex Toys, Sexual Tension, Smut, some dirty talk, there will also be bondage later, there will be D/S later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-04-30 14:06:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14498655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morevirtuemoir/pseuds/morevirtuemoir
Summary: Tessa Virtue's world is sent spinning thanks to a tight grip and two syllables from Scott Moir, who she definitely doesn't have feelings for.Title from 'Leather Jacket' by The Arkells





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't expect this to happen but hey it happened and I can't even pretend that I'm apologetic about it. I've loved these two for eight years and I got to see them live and now I'm even more obsessed. Great. 
> 
> I'd apologize for adding a dash o kink into this fandom but to do that I'd have to feel bad about it in any way shape or form. And I really don't. 
> 
> Let me know what you think!
> 
> My (new) tumblr is morevirtuemoir!

It starts as a stupid joke at South Korea’s Incheon airport, on their way home from the Olympics.

They’re waiting with the rest of the Canadian figure skating team for their boarding call, both thrilled about heading home and dreading the thirteen-hour flight. Exhausted, Tessa has tucked herself into the corner of a surprisingly cozy couch to wait in silence. The Games have completely drained her. She expected the physical drain, the mental and emotional strain of two competitions in one against fierce rivals and talents, but she hadn’t anticipated the social exhaustion. 

Between press days and the surprising scrutiny of social media, she’s pretty sure she’d be content to not speak to another person for three weeks. Which is why she’s buried her nose in her phone and hidden her face under an official Hudson’s Bay Team Canada hat. She loves her teammates and their fans, but she really just needs some time for herself. 

Scott, on the other hand, is extroverted as ever, even though Tessa knows that he hasn’t seen a real full night of rest since they’ve arrived in South Korea. He chatted with security the entire time they were checking in for their flight and Tessa hasn’t gone five minutes without hearing his bright laugh echo through the terminal. He lights up when fans approach with red faces and excited, nervous smiles. He engages them in full conversations and calms their anxieties about approaching Olympians. Scott's even hauled out his two new gold medals for photo opportunities. 

To be fair, the skaters have taken to keeping their medals in their carry-ons for peace of mind, so it’s not too far out of the question. But Scott and Patrick haven’t put theirs away since they’ve gotten to the gate. They let fans hold them and try them on, posing with them like they're photo-booth props, not Olympic medals. They’ve started comparing whose is shinier, even as Kaetlyn and Gabby shoot them side-eye from a couch adjacent to Tessa’s. 

“You two are such showoffs,” Gabby scoffs at one point. Tessa is sure they were supposed to be boarding by now. Scott and Patrick glance toward the girls and after a moment of stony, silent communication, Scott straightens up. 

“Why wouldn’t we show off, Daleman?” He teases, fully facing the girls. He dangles a medal from each wrist and does this ridiculous strut towards them, fully engaging his hips and attempting to shimmy his shoulders. Tessa decides ‘attempting’ is definitely the right word. 

When Scott winks at her, she can’t fight an awkward half-laugh from escaping her lips. At the eye of their social media storm is a question that Tessa herself doesn't even really know the answer to. She knows that she has feelings for Scott — both ‘partnership’ feelings and ‘oh god please love me forever and ruin me for any other man’ feelings — but she can never be sure with him. He’s touchy and flirty but if she’s honest, she can never tell what’s skate-acting and what’s real. 

“Because you look ridiculous, Moir,” Gabby snaps back, cocking an exquisitely groomed eyebrow. Scott only bumps his shimmy up more, giving a dramatic twirl, and batting his eyelashes. Kaetlyn has devolved into a fit of giggles and Patrick has taken out his phone to document the entire ordeal. 

“What do you think, Tess?” Scott wonders, pitching his voice low. Tessa knows that voice, has heard it through thin dorm walls when he’s had girlfriends in the past. Hearing it, hearing him say her name that way, snaps her attention back to him, away from wandering thoughts of him doing that shimmy with her, about what those eyelashes would look like if his eyes were hooded in ecstasy. 

He is now totally zoned in on her and he swaggers over, before starting to swing the medals around in circles. It’s like some weird striptease featuring three layers, two Gold medals, and the cockiest, most charming smile that mankind has ever seen. He winks at her and gives her a look straight out of “Roxanne,” fully selling the fantasy. 

Tessa feels her cheeks flush and hazards a glance around. Eric and Meagan have joined Patrick, their expressions giving away how much they’re enjoying the mess. Kaetlyn and Gabby are starting to tear up with laughter. Tessa notices that other, non-figure-skating people are starting to stare. Someone’s pulled their phone out and has it trained on the one man Moir show. 

Partially out of fear that he’ll be memed to death again, partially because she doesn’t know if she can take much more of Scott’s semi-seduction, Tessa jumps up and quickly closes the distance between her and her partner. In a quick moment, she snatches the medals out of the air, gripping the golden discs to halt Scott’s movements. She palms them in one hand, and pulls the fabric taut, bringing his wrists together. She holds him perfectly still, completely in control of his movement for a moment. 

“Stop it, Moir,” she hisses, giving him her most serious, confident stare. He swallows. Hard. She tries to not notice how quick his breath is. She tries to not be surprised by how intense her own tone is. “Smarten up. I’m too tired for your overtired antics.” 

“Yes ma’am,” he whispers, his voice low, carrying some untraceable tone that she’s never heard from him before. She tries to fight the wave of heat that rolls through her body. She tries to ignore the fact that she’ll be replaying those two words over and over every night for the foreseeable future. 

She tightens the grip she’s gained, pulling the fabric around his wrists even still. He stares at her, his eyes dark, full of something Tessa can’t read. They’re close, and she can smell his mint toothpaste and the coffee he drank once they got through security. His eyes flick to her lips, and she can almost feel herself being pulled towards him like gravity is demanding that they touch more, that they get closer. 

“Jesus,” Patrick laughs, breaking the spell. Tessa drops the medals, and they swing loosely around a stunned Scott’s wrists. Tessa clears her throat, tries to clear the fog from her head, hoping that will get rid of the flush she can across her cheeks. 

“You know Tess,” Scott chuckles, rubbing his wrists, “if you wanted to tie me up and take control, all you had to do was ask.” 

With a wink and that smile that tells her that everything is normal — as normal as it ever is when you think you might be in love with your partner — Scott pulls away. He grabs his backpack from a chair and gently tucks the medals back inside. As he does, Tessa tries to regulate her breath, taking stock of her teammates. 

Eric and Meagan are completely turned into each other, whispering about something. Eric has that ‘spilling tea’ smile on his face, and Meagan’s eyes are wide with excitement. Gabby’s eyes are trained on Scott, confused by the entire interaction, trying to make sense of his shimmying, of Tessa’s reaction. 

Patrick is carefully eyeing Tessa, trying to gauge her response. She knows that he sees through her, that she knows everything about her, can read her better than Scott can. He clued into Tessa’s emotions long ago, brought it up on one drunken night out after Sochi. But he knows better than to bring it up in public, when Scott is also there, to overhear or interrupt or distract Tessa by smiling. He almost says something, but then the intercom announces Zone 1 Boarding, and the skaters are on their way, moving towards the plane. 

As Tessa picks up her backpack and finds her boarding pass, she feels a light pressure on her elbow. She turns to find Kaetlyn with a concerned look on her face. The solo skater knows everything about Tessa’s feelings, has puzzled over Scott’s potential romantic emotions as much as Tessa has. She’s been a great confidant and support, especially in the past few weeks. 

“Do you…” she starts, finding Tessa’s hand and giving it a squeeze of reassurance. Tessa glances towards Scott, who is sharing a laugh with the flight attendant as she checks his boarding pass. 

“Wanna talk about it?” Tessa finishes, squeezing Kaetlyn’s hand back. “Never.” 

They board without incident and soon enough they’re all sitting in first-class pods, isolated. Scott is across from Tessa and he only points at his wrists once to demonstrate how red they’ve gotten from her little bondage exploration. Some of the team falls asleep before takeoff, some find movies they haven’t seen yet, but Tessa can’t quite focus on anything in particular. 

Once they’re in the air and the seatbelt sign is off, she makes her way to the first class bathroom. She locks the door and leans against the sink, not even bothering to push her leggings down. She slips her hand into her underwear, feels how wet she is, starts tracing small, familiar circles. How could Scott do this to her with two fucking syllables? With that voice? Those eyes? His fucking hips? 

She replays those quick moments over and over and over, biting down on her lip to keep quiet. She can’t have a flight attendant stumbling across her, can’t have another skater hearing her whine as she thinks about Scott calling her ma’am, about how it felt to feel that rush of power off-ice. She thinks about his eyes, the red marks on his wrists, and about what she’d give to have that moment once more. 

Tessa’s not at all surprised by how quickly she comes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Scott and Tessa visit Ellen, a joke gift from the beloved host amps up the intensity a little bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you for all of your amazing feedback and support on the first chapter! It really means so so so much. 
> 
> I just made a tumblr for v/m stuff and you can always shoot me a message or a prompt there! It's morevirtuemoir, the exact same as it is here! 
> 
> Again, let me know what you think!

Unsurprisingly, their trip to The Ellen DeGeneres Show doesn’t help the bondage situation. 

Since getting back to Canada, they’ve done plenty of interviews. They did a tour of CTV’s morning shows one day, they appeared on Breakfast Television and they even did a tiny piece for MuchMusic. All of that was easy; the questions were predictable, the same five things asked with different phrasing. Tessa could bypass the classic romance questions with a classic rehearsed rambling answer. She knows fans hate them, but she hates them so much more. The mystery of a potential relationship just adds to their mystique, can only make them more interesting, that’s why they’ve never given a straight answer. She and Scott are everything to each other, but they definitely amp it up in front of the cameras, play into their chemistry a little bit more. 

It was fun before the Games, Tessa could play a little bit more pretend, but she’s getting a little tired of “people wish you were a relationship! Bet you’ve never heard that before!” Because some part of Tessa, that feels bigger every day that they train for Stars on Ice, every time they sit together for an interview, also wishes they were dating.

That mystery, that question, that ‘will they won’t they’ is why Ellen is an entirely different ballgame. She wasn’t going to accept a rambling, rehearsed response as an answer. She was going to grill them. Scott and Tessa knew it, their publicists knew it, and through Tessa’s close monitoring of fan Twitter, she knew the fans knew it too. 

“You have to be careful,” Tessa says to Scott, making eye contact with her partner in the mirror. They’re backstage at Ellen, sharing a green room — Scott insisted it was okay, which made Tessa blush — and getting ready for the taping. 

“Me?” Scott gasps in fake shock. “Me?! T! You’re the worst. What about you?” 

“'Gorgeous green eyes?’ ‘I read somewhere?’” Tessa asks, setting down a powder brush to turn around her chair. She fixes him with a serious look, something close to the one she gave him in the airport. 

“I don’t know what you mean,” Scott replies, letting a cocky smile pick up the corners of his mouth. Tessa crosses her arms and clenches her jaw, movements that Scott mirrors. He’s practiced in this, this mocking mimicry, this teasing of his longtime partner. 

“Scott. Answers like that are why people think we’re dating or more than friends or—” 

“Fucking?” He finishes wryly. 

“Yeah. That,” she finishes, outwardly displaying no change. Inwardly, however, she’s trying not to think about his mouth wrapping around that word, how it seemed to carry some enormous weight. He steps forward and drops to his knees in front of her, looking up at her through thick eyelashes. 

“Maybe it’s how you look at me, T,” he whispers, carefully studying her face before his gaze drops a little lower. She watches his Adam’s apple bob, transfixed for approximately two seconds. 

“I don’t know what you mean,” she manages to get out, though her voice sounds strangled like she’s incapable of breathing. In reality, Tessa knows exactly what he means. She’s watched interviews back, seen herself staring dreamily at him. She’s tried to stop it but it never seems to work out. Scott’s eyes snap back up to hers. 

“That. That look.”

“I can’t control what my face looks like, Scott. But you can control what comes out of your mouth. So keep in line. She won’t take it easy on us,” Tessa pleads, reaching for his hands. She squeezes them and Scott lets out this half sigh-laugh thing. 

“What if I don’t behave though, Tess?” He asks cautiously, eyes filled with whatever it was they displayed at the airport the month before. “What’ll happen then?” 

Is he teasing her? Does he know that she’s thought over and over about taking control, about shutting him up, about putting his constantly-running mouth to better use? Does he know that she got off for weeks thinking that moment of restraining his wrists in the airport? 

Feeling brave — maybe it’s the pre-interview adrenaline — she shifts her grip to his wrists. She tightens her hold, knowing that he’s wearing a jacket for the taping, that if she leaves a mark, no one will notice. Scott gulps and glances down, but then his eyes are right back on hers, watching intently. 

“You don’t want to find out,” she hisses, feeling every bit a boss-ass bitch. There are a few moments of tense silence, where they both feel and subconsciously acknowledge the sexual tension that’s settled over them. Tessa squirms a little in her chair. Scott inhales sharply and leans forward into her personal space. Their noses brush. 

“We’ll see,” is all he says. He’s suddenly gone and when Tessa blinks back to reality, she finds him on the couch, whistling as he types something out on his iPhone. She turns back to the mirror and stares down her now-flushed reflection. She tells herself to get it together. 

The interview goes about as well as either of them expected. Their intro choreography goes off without a hitch and they get the right amount of questions wrong in ‘The Definitely Not Dating Game’ so they don’t arouse suspicion. In her opinion, Tessa nails the rambling response to “are you a couple” and she manages to keep her gazing at Scott to a minimum. Ellen certainly doesn’t let up on the couple-dom aspect, and as Tessa gives another canned answer, some part of her wants to blurt out ‘well yeah, Ellen, I wish we were a couple!’ 

Scott isn’t as bad as he’s been in interviews before, dropping fewer hints that they might be secretly in love. The ‘yeah’ after Ellen teases them about marrying other people sends Tessa into a nervous laugh, but it’s nothing too serious. They don’t touch each other, there’s nothing super obvious, but by the time they get back to the hotel, they already know that fan Twitter will eat the interview up. 

“People are never going to believe us, you know?” Scott asks, showing Tessa another tweet talking about their secret love. They’re sprawled across the queen-sized bed in Tessa’s room, wearing sweatpants and comfy, worn-in t-shirts. The second they had the option to get out of interview clothes, they took it. 

“I know,” Tessa sighs, handing him back his iPhone. She scratches at the perfectly styled half-ponytail at the crown of her head. She hasn’t gotten around to taking her hair out so the bobbi pins are starting to dig at her scalp. 

“We should just tell them we’re in love,” he yawns, rolling a little closer to her. He starts to dismantle her updo, carefully sliding bobbi pins out, placing them in a pile on his knee. They’ve done this countless times after competitions and interviews when Tessa is too tired to fuss with her hair. Scott knows she likes it better down, so this is just second nature to him. 

Tessa doesn’t know how to respond to his words though. Part of her wants to jump him, kiss him, and then post a selfie announcing their love to the world. But the larger part of her is scared that she’s built this thing up in her head, that none of it’s really real. She’s scared she bought into their illusion. 

Once her hair is out, he runs his hands through it a few times, playing with her soft tresses. Their breathing matches up and Tessa wants every day for the rest of her life to be just this. She’s about to tell him something along those lines, tell him what she’s been wanting to say for years, but then there’s a knock at the hotel door. 

She starts to move, but Scott leaps to his feet and gestures for her to stay on the bed. She watches him pad out of the suite’s bedroom and hears him open the door. She listens half-heartedly to a conversation with a bellhop, something about a delivery, and then the door’s shut and within a few seconds, he’s back. 

Scott is now carrying a giant basket. Tessa can barely see his hair over it, it’s so large. She stifles a laugh. Scott sets it down on the floor by the foot of the bed before pulling a card from the back pocket of his sweatpants. He hands it to Tessa, who is unsurprised to find a light blue Ellen logo printed on the envelope. 

“Ellen sent us presents?” Scott asks, dropping to kneel next to the basket. Tessa nods, opening the card. 

“A gift for my favorite couple who’s not a couple. Love, Ellen,” she reads, looking up to find Scott with a wide smile on his face. “Stop enjoying this so much, Moir.” 

He gives her a shrug before tearing open the cellophane. Tessa slides onto the floor next to him and they start to rifle through the basket’s contents. There’s Ellen hoodies and underwear and toques, a few boxes of candies from local LA places, a bottle of champagne, packages of Ellen’s favorite cookie and at the very bottom, a small black box. 

“What the hell is that?” Scott asks as Tessa pulls it out and sets it on her lap. She undoes the silk tie that’s keeping the box closed and lifts it open. It takes everything in her to not gasp and she’s grateful when Scott starts to laugh. 

Ellen’s gifted them a “Couple’s Play Kit.” Tessa is in shock, cannot believe America’s beloved daytime talk show host has given them tools for kinky sex. There’s flavored lube, handcuffs, a blindfold, different styles of gags, a spool of black bondage rope and silk ties. 

Tessa is caught somewhere between excitement and utter existential dread. She hazards a look up at Scott and is surprised to find him staring at her intently. Her breath catches in her throat and her eyes are drawn by his movement back towards the box. Scott’s hand is sliding to the silk ties and Tessa feels something churn in her stomach. 

“You know. I almost said something stupid in that interview today,” he says. His voice is low, a little hoarse, and the tone of it sends shivers down Tessa’s spine. 

“Oh?” Is all she can manage to get out. 

“Yeah, almost uh…said how my friend was right to not let me live it down…breaking up with you when we were kids,” he continues, sliding one of the silk ties through his fingers. His eyes are intense, the same intense they were during Roxanne, the same ferocity they held when they did Carmen. He’s intense Scott. Tessa feels her heart rate pick up. 

“But you didn’t,” Tessa comments, taking a tie from Scott, reveling in the smoothness of the fabric. 

“Yeah, one could say I behaved.” 

“It was pretty impressive, I have to admit.” 

“So I guess I’ll never get to find out what your punishment might have been,” Scott says. With his free hand, he reaches up and brushes his fingertips along her jawline. She can’t help it, her eyelids flutter. 

“No matter how much I might have wanted to,” Scott breathes, leaning closer to Tessa. He's about to kiss her, about to close that distance and fulfill a fantasy, but she feels a rush of power, and she presses a finger to his lips instead. His eyes go wide and Tessa can practically see the sexual frustration in his knit eyebrows. 

“Well then…I can always give you a reward…” she husks. Her tone is dripping with lust, her voice lower than usual. 

Tessa moves her hand up to run through his hair before giving a gentle tug. The tiny moan that escapes his lips is the most satisfying thing that she’s has ever heard. She’d be ashamed of how wet it makes her, but she’s too focused on this new situation and how fucking fantastic it is. Moving slowly and carefully — she’s not sure she’ll ever get the chance to do this again — Tessa slides her way around Scott. 

“I need you to tell me if something isn’t ok. Alright, Scott?” She says, concern in her voice. She presses a few kisses to the nape of his neck, nuzzling into his skin, enjoying the smell of his cologne, the way that she can feel his pulse. She tangles her fingers in his hair again, tugging, enjoying the hiss it elicits. 

“Yes ma’am,” he whines. Tessa tugs at his hair a little harder before she runs her hands across his shoulders and down his back. 

“Hands,” she snaps. Within an instant, his hands are behind his back. This causes her to comment, “Oh such a good boy today, Moir. So well behaved.” 

“Just wanna be good for you,” he whimpers. Tessa pauses in her tying of his hands to take that in. 

What is this? What does any of this mean? She falters, considers running to the bathroom and pretending nothing happened before Scott turns his head to give her a sultry gaze. Emboldened, she finishes tying his hands, making sure it’s tight enough that he feels a little controlled but not too tight to cut off his circulation. Once she’s sure that the ties are perfect she circles him again and is greatly pleased to find his eyes fluttering and his breathing heavy. 

“Colour me surprised, T. I did not have you pegged as the dom type,” Scott laughs, locking eyes with Tessa. She leans into him and presses her forehead to his. 

“Sorry…who?” She teases, licking her lips slowly, tortuously, so she can watch Scott’s eyes dart down, can watch him want her. 

“Ma’am,” he whispers. She rewards him with a searing kiss. “Miss.” Another kiss. “Queen.” Another. “Goddess.” She kisses his jawline. “Fuck, this is…wow.” 

“Just you wait,” she promises, pulling back. With a deft movement, she pulls him up into a kneeling position before pushing down his sweats and boxers together. He’s already hard — and Tessa takes a millisecond to take in what he’s working with — and she grins as his hips buck forward almost subconsciously. She works him with her hand for a minute, their mouths moving against each other in pure passion, unbridled heat. It feels like fireworks, feels like everything has finally connected. 

He struggles against his ties and she knows that his touchy-feely ass wants to touch her. But she’s taking control, taking charge, and she pushes him down to lay on the plush throw rug. Making eye contact with Scott, Tessa lowers herself and licks a slow, tortuous stripe up his cock. 

“Oh my GOD,” Scott whines, hips bucking up again. Tessa quickly goes to work, sucking expertly, using her tongue, driving Scott absolutely wild. He’s whining and cursing and thanking God and Ellen in the same breath, and Tessa is doing her best to not only make him come but to memorize every second, every sound. 

“I’m gonna—“ Scott starts before Tessa pulls off abruptly. 

“You’re gonna what?” She teases, cocking her head to the side. Scott strains, his muscles tensing, his forehead beginning to bead with sweat. He’s tortuously close, unbelievably on the edge, but he’s also pretty good at this submissive thing. There’s no way he’ll come without Tessa’s permission. 

“God. Tess. Ma’am. Please let me— I really need to come. I’m so fucking close and I just need…please. Please,” he babbles, eyes begging Tessa for the privilege. She smirks and strokes him one more time before giving him a sharp nod. With a grunt, his orgasm crashes over him, and Tessa works him through it, leaning forward to lock him into a sloppy kiss again. 

Once he’s done, once Tessa’s untied him and cleaned up the mess with a hand towel, they sit in a slightly awkward silence. Tessa repacks the gift basket. Scott redresses. She moves back to the bed, sweeps the bobbi pins into her hand and places them on the nightstand. She wonders if she made the wrong decision. 

It’s unsurprising when Scott slots his body into bed next to hers but it is surprising when the hand he throws over her side starts to drift into her sweatpants. He inches his fingers underneath her underwear before Tessa stops him. 

“Hey," she says, turning to face him. He freezes, utterly lost, before she assures him: “I’m good.” 

“You’re sure?” Scott checks, face a wash of confusion. “I feel bad if you…and I don’t…” 

“I’m sure,” she replies, nodding. She presses a gentle kiss to her partner’s cheek, snuggling in closer to him. He envelops her in his arms, pulls her tighter to his body, slotting his chin into the nape of her neck. She marvels at how well the two of them fit together and can’t help but sigh contentedly when he starts to play with the ends of her hair. Her eyes drift shut and she’s perfectly happy to just lay there with Scott forever. 

“Fine,” he sighs, “I guess I’ll just have to owe you.” 

Her eyes snap open but she doesn’t move. She has no idea what he means. She just knows that she can’t wait to find out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before their first Stars on Ice Show, Tessa goes on a bit of a shopping trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELL YIKES. 
> 
> This is the longest an update has ever taken for a fic ever (maybe not ever) and I am genuinely so so sorry. I wrote half of this in the summer but was always tired and now I'm in school and still always tired and I'm sorry. But here it is. This was gonna be the last part but then I wrote it all and decided 'no the big bad sex will be its own part' so that will happen, sooner than later I swear to you. 
> 
> If anyone still reads this, let me know what you think! I am so so sorry this took 5000 years! I'm still obsessed with these two idiots and the TYCT has me hella inspired to keep writing them. Maybe with greater frequency. Okay bye enjoy.

They don’t talk about LA. 

Not when they wake up and find themselves tangled together, not on the flight home, not in the downtime when they’re rehearsing for Stars on Ice, even though there isn’t a ton of that. The closest they get to discussing the brief exploration of bondage is a few weeks later when Patrick asks about their trip on a break from running choreography. 

“So…what did you two get up to in LA? Anything exciting?” Patrick asks, before taking a long swig from his water bottle. Tessa’s stretching on the dance studio floor and Scott’s sitting across from her. He stares at Tessa for a second before taking a bite from a granola bar. Tessa’s sure his eyes flick across her figure before he just laughs a little. 

“Nothing exciting. You know, Ellen kind of had us tied up,” Scott replies after a long moment. 

Tessa can feel her face go pale, can see the colour drain from her features in the mirror across the room. She glances to Scott, who’s watching her carefully. Patrick just gives the pair a confused look before he gravitates towards Gabby, who’s gushing over something she found on Instagram. 

“If this figure skating thing doesn’t pan out, you should definitely go into comedy,” Tessa mocks, slapping Scott’s forearm lightly. He catches her wrist and she feels her heart stop for a second. He squeezes, staring her down, the intense Scott from LA returning once more. But then he blinks and Intense Scott is gone and her hand is free. 

“I think you know how serious I am, T,” is all he says before he stands up.

He extends a hand to help her to her feet so they can get back into rehearsals. She attempts to keep her cool as she overbalances and winds up really close to him. They stay like that, in each other’s space, for a moment, before Eric clears his throat behind them. The partners turn a little away from each other, Scott clearing his throat. 

The stage manager calls them back to run the opening number and soon enough ‘Raise Your Glass’ is pumping through the dance studio. Tessa has to force herself to focus on the choreography, not the idea that Scott might be taking things seriously. 

The rest of Stars on Ice rehearsals are more of the same, without a full conversation about LA. Tessa doesn’t know what she wants from the conversation that she keeps imagining they’ll have. What, Scott’s going to say it was a mistake? Or he’ll confess his deep love for her? They’ll fuck for an entire day? Nothing good will come from a conversation. It might be complicated now, but at least it’s individually complicated now. 

They get through the Japan tour and the rest of Canadian rehearsals without incident. They don’t talk about LA but they talk about anything and everything else. They have sleepovers after long rehearsal days and they get dinner when there’s time and order takeout to share when there’s not. Kaetlyn jokes that they’re more couple-y than ever. Patrick agrees. 

The skaters eventually arrive in Halifax for a week of rehearsals and their first Canadian Stars on Ice show. Amidst hours of spacing rehearsals and tech runs, Tessa and Scott find time for each other and themselves. They platonically cuddle while they watch old seasons of _Suits_. Scott and Patrick go out one night and get shitfaced, dance in different bars with different crowds, get drunk pizza at 3 am and are hungover as hell when rehearsal starts the next day. Tessa, Kaetlyn and Gabby have a spa night and do mask after mask, mani-pedis, and order in a masseuse. 

The day of their first show, they have a bit of an afternoon break, since tech is figuring out some lighting and sound things. Scott heads back to the Delta to have a nap, avoiding fangirls like it’s his job — which it kind of is at this point. Other members of the team take in a movie, some make their way to the mall, but Tessa decides to wander around downtown. 

“Hiding” in a ball cap and large sunglasses, Tessa walks along the waterfront, taking in the view, stopping to take a few pictures when the sun hits the water just right. She stops into a tourist trap store and picks up a rubber magnet that says ‘HALIFAX’ in brightly coloured letters. She grabs another for Scott, because he has nothing in his apartment to give it any sort of life. A fridge magnet might help a little, she figures. 

She walks up past the public library and stumbles across a small lingerie store. Feeling brave, feeling remarkably unlike herself, feeling like Scott’s seriousness might boil over on tour without any rest, she decides to go inside. 

The sales associate recognizes her almost instantly. Tessa’s browsing through a rack of black negligees when the girl, who has to be in her early 20s, comes up, approaching cautiously. 

“Uh…can I help you Ms. Virtue?” She asks, her voice shaking. Tessa slides her sunglasses up — thank god, it was too dark with them on — and smiles warmly at the girl. Once she does, her shoulders visibly relax and she’s clearly more calm about being around an Olympian. 

“Just looking for something special,” Tessa replies, shrugging. She has no idea what she should be looking for, no idea what to buy. If she’s honest, she hasn’t bought lingerie in the longest time, hasn’t had the need to. The only guy she’s wanted to impress in any way in the past four years is Scott, and it’s not like he’s going to see her naked. 

“For any special occasion? For uh…anybody in particular?” The sales associate asks. 

Tessa know she means ‘For Scott?’ and some part of her would like to say ‘yes’ and just make the entire thing easier, but instead she says: “No. Just looking for something to celebrate myself, you know?” 

“Oh! Totally! Love that. Here, our best stuff is this way.” 

The girl starts weaving through racks towards a section in the back, past negligees and babydoll to lacy bodysuits and strappy sets. The girl gestures towards a four foot section that’s lit with soft golden lights, giving the stock a nice glow. Tessa finds herself drawn to a red bodysuit that looks to be a similar shade to her Moulin Rouge dress. 

“This stuff is a little bit more expensive, but it’s totally worth the price jump and…I have a discount that I can use,” she offers timidly. Tessa turns, letting lacy fabric slip through her fingers, to face the girl. 

“You absolutely don’t have to—“ she starts. 

“No, oh my gosh!” The sales associate interrupts, putting up her hands defensively, “I totally want to. You and Scott are like, my all time favourite athletes. Total role models. It would be an honour. Plus this place doesn’t pay me nearly enough considering how much this shit costs.” 

Tessa laughs before gesturing towards the section and asking, “Well, what would you recommend?” 

The next forty minutes is a flurry of the sales associate hand-selecting different sets and suits for Tessa to try on. She slips into black lace, tries and fails to get into a latex dress and lives her leather fantasy for an entire thirty seconds before she and the sales associate — Emily — devolve into laughter. 

Eventually, she returns to the red bodysuit she was initially drawn to. It’s a deep red — “just like the Moulin Rouge dress,” Emily confirms excitedly — and has the most intricate lace work Tessa has ever seen. It has a french cut with little scallops that graze across the tops of her thighs and the top half features a triangular cut out and choker neck which work together to highlight her collarbone and cleavage like never before. 

Emily pairs it with a set of inky black thigh highs and a slinky short black robe, which floats around Tessa as she walks, but tapers on her arms. 

“Severe,” Emily says, studying Tessa, trying to achieve the perfect look, “but still seductive.” 

“Very come hither,” Tessa notes, studying her reflection in a full-length mirror. The cap and sunglasses are long-abandoned on a chair. The Olympian pulls her elastic out of her hair and shakes it out, a little stunned when her messy hair really pulls the look together. She wishes she had red lipstick and severe eyeliner to really sell it.

“Is that the look you’re going for?” Emily asks. Tessa meets her gaze in the mirror and nods, feeling brave. Seduction? Come hither? That’s definitely the look she’s going for. 

After a few selfies in ridiculous pink robes, Emily rings Tessa up, applying a generous discount and throwing in a deep red bow tie free of charge. Tessa flushes at this, wants to say she doesn’t need it, but she decides that if she can have a bit of hope for her and Scott, that Emily can be a part of it. Besides, who’s going to believe that Tessa Virtue dropped hundreds of dollars on lingerie for Scott Moir, her partner in business and bedroom activities? Even then, for some reason, Tessa trusts Emily wouldn’t say anything. 

_What would be the harm if I did?_ Tessa catches herself thinking as she pays. Before she leaves, Tessa gives Emily a hug and informs her there will be a ticket at will-call that evening with her name on it. They hug again before parting ways, Tessa slipping back onto the streets and into a pretty anonymous walk back to the hotel. 

Maybe, new purchases in hand, she feels like there’s a different spring in her step. And maybe, just maybe, she stops at a small sex shop to make a few more purchases. 

——

The first show goes off practically without a hitch. The crowd is responsive and energetic, the numbers go well — Scott remembers all of the new group choreography, and there are fewer-than-expected falls brought on by the first-night jitters. Gabby beats herself up about a bad exit from a jump, but they’re all there to comfort her. 

Tessa feels alive again from the second she steps onto the ice for ‘Raise Your Glass.’ The crowd cheering, excited and a little intoxicated makes her feel at home, makes her feel like she’s doing the right thing. When they get a standing ovation before their MJ song, she has to ground herself so she doesn’t burst into tears. This is her country, these are her people, and as she looks at Scott, bouncing and beaming in the applause and hollers, she’s so glad she feels grounded by her person, tethered to the moment in the most meaningful way.

Moulin Rouge feels like fire; Tessa is sure they’re going to melt the ice. The crowd is deafening from the first notes, responding with screams to the adjusted opening, and they go crazy for the entire number. Tessa feels like she’s floating, so much so that Scott has to remind her to focus during their last few step sequences, just like he did in Vancouver during their rhythm dance. 

After the show, they’re walking to the meet and greet, when Scott breaks a contented quiet to say, “I missed that, T.” 

They’re running a bit behind — Scott couldn’t find his dress pants — and the other skaters are all ahead of them. His hand finds his way into hers again, like it never left, like it’s meant to be there. He beams at her and Tessa feels like she’s filled with light, buoyed. 

“Me too. Just doing it, just going out there and skating, not worrying about tech and lights and placement, just…going,” she enthuses. Scott looks at her like he’s trying to memorize her every move, record her joy, before he smirks. 

“No, I meant doing Moulin Rouge with you. That look you get on your face during Roxanne, it’s…fierce,” he hesitates, choosing his word carefully. His thumb starts tracing over the back of her hand and yeah, he’s done that too many times to count, but this time it’s different. It makes Tessa’s knees weak. 

She’s a little surprised he’s going back to this vibe, this ‘we are fully going to fuck each other’ energy so quickly after a show before they have to go see other people, but she tries to remind herself she has planned for this. She can beat intense Scott. She finally has the upper hand. 

“Oh?” She asks, trying her best to stay steady. 

“Definitely. Reminds me of the way you looked at me in LA,” he says casually, winking at her. That’s it. Tessa knows it’s now or never. There’s the chance, she has to leap on it. 

“Do you want to see more of that look?” She wonders, halting in her tracks. 

“Yeah, I mean—“ he stops, slightly confused by her lack of movement. She pulls his arm quickly, bringing him close to her, and their noses are almost touching. She feels a little invincible.

“What look?” She asks, quickly switching her grasp to his forearms, holding him still. He could move if he really wanted to, but they both know he doesn’t.

“That look,” he whispers, “the one that’s on your face right now. It…God, Tessa…that’s the only look I want to see on your face until I die.” 

“Really?” She prompts, squeezing her hands, sliding down to capture his wrists once more. His eyelids flutter. 

_Gotcha, Moir._

“Yes,” he practically whines. 

“Oh? That look like I’m going to devour you? Like I’ll do whatever I want to you? The look that says ‘you’re mine?’” As she slowly speaks, careful to cradle each word of seduction, she reaches into her purse. 

“More than anything,” he promises, “I think about that night…I’ve thought about it every day since then.” 

“Good. Because you still owe me,” she says simply. Tessa luxuriates in the look of shock that races across his features, before she says, “don’t think I forgot. I think about LA a lot, too.” 

“T, I…yeah,” is all he can get out before Tessa slowly withdraws two items from her purse and slips them into Scott’s hand. The first is the bowtie Emily gave her. The second is a black silk blindfold. 

Scott is in awe. Tessa knows this the second the emotion reaches his eyebrows, because this is so rare. He always has it figured out, can always roll with anything, make it into a joke or a game, and this time, she’s got him caught. She has awed him. 

He is in awe as he stares at his new possessions, cradling them like they’re priceless. He inhales sharply, realizing exactly where this is going, before his gaze snaps back up to Tessa, whose eyebrows are raised, waiting for his answer. 

“Don’t you, Moir? Owe me something?” She prompts. 

“Yes ma’am,” he promises. Tessa hears the promise in his tone, can see it in the way his Adam’s apple bobs, can sense it in his body. The air between them feels thick. Warm. Heavy. She capitalizes on this. 

“Good boy. Now, I’ll need your room key. You can get another from the front desk, say you lost yours, work your Moir charm, they’ll do whatever you want,” she instructs, patting his shoulder. 

Nodding, Scott stuffs the blindfold and bowtie into his pants pocket before he goes for his rear wallet. Lightning fast, Tessa stills his hands, before reaching into his back left pocket on her own, eyes drilling into his the entire time, a smirk playing at her lips. Taking her time, feeling her way, letting her hand drift and maybe squeeze once, she eventually withdraws his leather wallet. 

She skips over his ID and debit card to find his hotel room key, before she slips it into her purse. The planner side of her brain is grateful his key is a different colour than hers. Things would’ve been a lot less sexy if she had to knock. Slowly, she slides the wallet back into his pocket. 

“Ten o’clock. I want you on your bed, wearing what I’ve given you. Nothing else. Ok?” 

“Absolutely. Anything you say,” Scott promises. 

Tessa can’t help herself — it’s his tone, his heavy eyelids, the way submission seems to sink his shoulders, to make him ooze desperation — so she kisses him. Slowly, sweetly, she presses her lips to his. He moves against her, hands cautiously finding her hips, moving against her perfectly. 

In whatever fucked up game this is, this is the moment that’s felt the most terrifyingly real to Tessa. Like the glass is the closest to shattering and piercing the rest of their lives, the rest of the world. She lets it happen for ten seconds before pulling away. Scott looks a little lust-drunk, eyes wide, lips red and wet, a bulge in his pants. She runs her hand through his hair before she decides to keep toying with him. 

As if nothing has happened, Tessa continues walking down. She leaves him a few feet behind, shaking with desire, before pausing to look back at him. He turns to her, a little confused. He’s about to speak, to wonder what’s happening, before she switches back into ‘ready to meet and or greet some fans’ Tessa. 

“Scott,” she teases, voice back in its normal placement, “come on. What’s Patrick gonna say to us? We’re already so late.” 

He shakes himself — actually shakes himself out of his haze, before straightening up. His jaw clenches as he walks to meet her again, and she watches him calculate whether its okay to take her hand or not. She gives a quick nod and he slips his fingers between hers again, finding home again. 

“Best for last, right?” He asks, his voice still a little lower than he probably wants it to be. He coughs, trying to correct this, and Tessa can’t help but laugh. 

“Something like that.”


End file.
